


Reformation

by gleefulmusings



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), surprise crossover - Fandom
Genre: Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22927033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleefulmusings/pseuds/gleefulmusings
Summary: Tony is determined that Pepper's birthday will be her best one yet and plans to deliver the ultimate gift, but isn't prepared for what he uncovers. Meanwhile, Fury plots to add a new Avenger to the team.
Relationships: not yet - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 41





	Reformation

**Author's Note:**

> If you follow me on Twitter, you might be aware of some what this story will entail, but I'm keeping a lot under wraps. Tags will be updated as the story advances.
> 
> I'm taking liberties with the MCU, and might be including some powers and storylines from the comics.

Shopping was a bitch.

Shopping for Your Very Best Friend who was also Your Very Best Used-to-Be was actual torture, and Tony Stark believed his human rights had been violated in the pursuit. He wanted to file an appeal with The Hague, but he wasn’t in the mood to be laughed at any more than Pepper was already laughing at him.

“Honestly, Tony,” she said with great mirth, “I don’t need a birthday gift. You pay me quite nicely to manage your life, and the hazard bonus that comes with it is pretty sweet. Anything I want, I can buy for myself.”

“That’s not the point! And this is not a feminist issue, so don’t think I didn’t see that Beyoncé wriggle you just did. You’re my best friend, quite possibly my only friend, and your birthday is something that should be celebrated.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What have you done?”

His own brimmed with innocence. “These aspersions cast upon my sterling character will not stand.”

Now she was terrified, which was all part of his nefarious plan. He wanted to keep her guessing. Suspicion and paranoia were better. The longer he could keep her on the defensive, the longer he would keep her in the dark.

Of course, he couldn’t count on that completely. Pepper Potts was a wily and worthy opponent, able to ferret out his schemes better than almost anyone; that was the drawback to having someone know you as well as she did him. Still, he wasn’t willing to give up the ghost just yet.

So he would let her think he was panicking. Let her think he was conscripting numerous Italian designers to create a line of ridiculous, lethal shoe wear just for her. Let her think he was setting up a private paradisiacal island in her name that was secretly a tax haven. Let her think he was reanimating dead pop stars to play at her party. All theories she had put forward.

He cackled.

She fled.

* * *

The truth was that Tony had been preparing for her surprise party for more than a year. It was no longer a surprise party, of course, because it was almost impossible to surprise her. There was little she hadn’t seen since she had agreed to stand at his side. She also hated surprises, and he knew if he tried to affect one, she’d string him by his nipples from the top of the Tower.

That was Phase One in the Birthday Extravaganza, a conceit designed solely to allow Pepper to believe she was somewhat in charge of her own life.

So, no, the party was no longer a surprise, but the guest list certainly was.

* * *

The other Avengers were a given. They didn’t agree on much, but each member adored Pepper, though some were not as overt in exhibiting it. At the end of the day, however, each one would march into Hell to retrieve her. They knew it, and so did she.

What was really irritating was that they had no problems thinking of ideas for presents. Each had apparently come up with some grand gift they were sure she would love. Because they were so smug and self-righteous about it, Tony could only assume they were right. They would drop what they believed were tantalizing hints to drive him wild with speculation.

That was fine. Let them have their petty secrets.

All that mattered was that he would win.

Because that’s all Tony Stark did: win.

* * *

Despite being raised to believe otherwise, Tony understood there were some things money simply could not buy. Security and privacy were just two examples.

The party would be held in the Tower, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to guarantee a good time anywhere else. He thought about Paris, Bali, and Marrakesh – and some off the beaten path locales – but he couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t be ruined by some overeager fan or entitled paparazzo or an unprecedented natural disaster. So, home was the only option.

Nothing mattered more than Pepper’s safety. They might not be together anymore, but she was the most important person in his life, and he suspected this would always be the case. Even if he were to settle down eventually with some statuesque woman or rocking twink or adorable teacup Pomsky, Pepper would always be primary.

And that was okay. It would also have to be okay with any theoretical partner(s) and/or pets.

Pepper was his _person_.

And she would have the best birthday ever, or something would die bloody.

* * *

She had been right, though: anything she wanted, she could buy herself.

Therefore, the only acceptable gift was something she couldn’t buy. Namely: time, love, and family.

Tony supposed he could buy her time; he was sure he and Bruce could come up with something, but Pepper became annoyed when he bent physics to suit his whims.

Love? Well, he knew one day Pepper would fall in love, but it would be in her own time and on her own terms, and the incredibly fortunate recipient would be made aware of how lucky he or she was. Very aware.

That left family, of which she had precious little to speak. Pepper was notoriously private and protective of them; so much so that even Tony – _her best friend, thank you_ – was unaware of them. He knew her parents were gone, a sore subject even he dared not approach, and she had no siblings.

But she had cousins. Two of them, in fact.

Discovering their identities had been difficult, and he’d had to resort to a purloined DNA sample, which revealed nothing of import. He found thousands of people to whom she was distantly related, but none to whom she would lay claim. In the end, it had been a matter of detective work, combing through archives, and raiding the Mormon genealogical database.

It had taken months of exhaustive effort, but it was worth it because _she_ was worth it. And, in the end, he had won. He had found them.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He knew who they were but finding them was altogether a different animal. The deeper he had dug, the more he came to realize even Pepper didn’t know where to find them. That had been devastating. His search was no longer about surprise, but reunion.

More months passed. All his money couldn’t buy the locations of these mysterious cousins. It was as though they had vanished into the ether. It drove home just how frighteningly easy it was for someone to completely fall off the grid. One had been consumed by Los Angeles, as so many were, and the other had disappeared into Russia. He had a fleeting thought of asking Natasha for help with the latter but knew she could be incredibly tetchy when it came to her former nation.

Besides, asking for assistance would defeat the purpose and circumvent the challenge. Not to mention spoil the surprise!

Like Pepper, the cousins were also only children with no siblings. He had been able to track them through high school, but no further. He was at least able to obtain pictures, and Tony could say with certainty that Pepper’s family were genetically gifted. The cousins were gorgeous, possessed of an almost otherworldly beauty, but the pictures were almost two decades out of date. Age progression technology and reverse search imaging were things, but worthless when there was no digital footprint.

More digging. More swearing. More bargaining with powers he wasn’t sure existed.

Finally, a breakthrough, though one he honestly hadn’t anticipated. An obituary. The Los Angeles cousin had died ten years previous. It was a small mention, almost nothing, and it angered him how a life could be reduced to half an inch of typeset. He was also angry because, had this not to do with Pepper, he probably wouldn’t have noticed or even cared. And, yeah, that bothered him.

He wasn’t sure if Pepper knew; even less sure if it was his place to tell her. He decided not to, because it wasn’t his business. If she ever came to him, wanted his help, he would bring her the moon. Until then, he would play by her rules. She hadn’t led him wrong yet.

The trail of the other cousin warmed twelve weeks later. Tony had found the name in an obscure Russian physics journal and been able to trace it. Somewhat.

The cousin had left the States for Russia after high school, enrolling in university in Moscow, majoring in physics. Tony appreciated physics and understood the allure. After all, everything was just waves. What was, well, odd, was the focus of the program. The cousin had majored in acoustics, eventually receiving a doctorate, as well as one in bioinformatics.

Acoustics was wrongly considered to be a dead field, not often taught, and poorly understood. Tony had never studied it in any depth, and honestly couldn’t fathom how it correlated with bioinformatics. After finding the academic records, the trail went cold again.

Tony then started believing that it had done so purposefully. It worried him because he couldn’t determine why, and immediately fretted Pepper might be in danger. It didn’t make sense, didn’t _feel_ right, but it nagged at him. Tony decided maybe some sleeping dogs should just be left to lie.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, kicking up his heels on his desk. Almost a year of painstaking and painful research, and nothing but sadness and more questions to show for it. Worse, he still had to come up with a present for Pepper that wouldn’t suck.

Scratch that.

 _Worse_ was Nick Fury. That damnable pirate had found out about the party and invited himself, along with a prospective new team member, some English lord with money to burn and power Fury wouldn’t discuss. Tony was furious Fury had no compunction about using Pepper’s birthday to network and mansplain, but knew if he tried to bar him, Fury would get in anyway. Better to prepare as much as possible.

This was turning into a shit-show all the way around.

He sighed, then jumped when his office door was thrown open with enough force that the plaster behind it crushed beneath the impact. Tony gaped unattractively as a model strolled into his office as though she owned it.

Incredibly hot, though. He could tell immediately this woman had zero fucks to give and was about to tell him just why that was. She was tall, taller than him even without the heels. No older than twenty-four. Killer curves were wrapped in an extremely tailored and blinding white pantsuit, bearing just enough cleavage to be adventurous but not salacious.

Highlighted sienna waves tumbled down her back and tanned skin appeared to glow from within. She wore a pave diamond choker, with large matching hoop earrings. It was a sophisticated look that screamed money, but without trying too hard.

She pushed up her enormous sunglasses – Chanel, he recognized – onto the top of her head and raised an imperious brow. Most offensive was that she had the nerve to look utterly _bored_ with everything: the office, the circumstance, and him.

“Hey, Nerdalicious. I heard you were looking for me. Not surprising. All men are.”

He stared, waiting for his misfiring synapses to reignite.

He was _Tony Stark_. He didn’t get tongue-tied or flustered around stupidly beautiful women. After all, he had slept with more than his share. But … how did she get in? She had just waltzed into his private office without a care in the world, as though the security of Stark Industries – which, in most cases, beat that of covert government agencies – was a joke.

There was also something … he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He recognized it, dimly, almost as an echo of something else. He felt threatened, though he didn’t know why, and, on the surface, it should have been ridiculous. But he felt outmatched, outmanned, and outgunned. He knew to heed the instinct.

He was arrogant and entitled, but he wasn’t stupid.

It was like the sense he got from Natasha, that he could be picked apart with ease, but there was also the thrumming undercurrent of power reminiscent of Thor. She wasn’t evil, but she was dangerous, absolutely, and he would underestimate her to his mortal detriment.

Wait. He was supposed to know her? His brain made the leap faster than he could assimilate it.

The Missing Cousin. But ... the _dead_ one.

“I’m Cordelia Chase, dumbass.”


End file.
